Jumpers
by Cr33pyLasagna
Summary: It's the anniversary of the September 11 attacks and Robin hears about the gangs experience. One shot. Not for the faint of heart.GRAPHIC! Moved from a T to M. I don't mean to offend people but don't read if offended by 9-11 Stories.


_How I Met Your Mother – Jumpers - One Shot_

I was so excited to see the season premiere of my favorite show. It was an hour long special. All these ideas were running through my head of what it could have been. I was ready for anything but what I saw.

When it first came on there was a disclaimer. "Due to the graphic nature of this episode, viewer discretion is advised." Then it was the theme song. I thought that was weird since it was suppose to be a comedy. I continued to watch…

_(Old Ted)Kids, New York is a beautiful place. A cultured place. After moving from Ohio to here I decided I never wanted to leave. But almost three decades ago, something terrible happened in this town that I'm thankful you kids never had to witness. I wish I could wipe the visions from my brain…_

The gang was at MacLarens sitting at their favorite table, Barney next to Ted on the right side, Lilly and Marshal across from them. They all had a somber look on their face and Barney had on an American flag themed tie. There were flags hanging everywhere in the bar. On the walls, coming from the celealing, and they even had flags as a tablecloth. Barney's eye leaked a tear and he quickly wiped it away. The men were all wearing suits and Lilly a bright pink dress. The words September 11th, 2010 shows at the bottom of the screen.

Robin walked into the bar, a smile on her face and pulled a chair over to the table. She sat down and her smile quickly faded. "Woah, what's the matter guys? And what's with the flags?", she asked looking at each friend. She stopped at Barney and eyed him. "Are you crying?"

Lilly looked at Robin in horror, "Really, you are going to ask all these questions? Don't you realize what today is?", she snapped at her. Marshall put his arm around her and pulled her in for a hug. She wrapped her arms around him and quietly sobbed into his chest.

Robin looked taken back. "Woah, what the hell did I miss? Did someone die and no one called to mention it to me?"

"Just...Just…"

All eyes were now focused on Barney. His eyes had not left his beer the entire night. Ted placed his hand on Barney's arm and Barney's lip quivered. He does not cry but he did lift his head to look at the group. "It's been nine years. Why does it seem to only get harder?" He asked in a low voice. He took a swig of his drink and slams it down, cracking the glass and beer leaked on the table and on his suit. "NO! Not this suit!" He screamed as he stormed off to the bathroom.

Robin was more confused than ever. "Okay, spill. I'm worried and confused and I don't know if I should just leave and see you all tomorrow or what."

"It's September 11th. And we lost a great friend and he lost a fiancé nine years ago," Ted finally said to her. He looked at Marshall. "Do you think you should go or I should? I don't want him doing anything stupid." Marshall waved him on and Ted nodded. Right before he left, he looked like he was going to say something before shaking his head and walking off.

Robin slumped down in her chair, embarrassed that she didn't realize the date before she scooted back up, confused. "How come this is the first time I'm hearing about her? Who was she?"

Lilly pulled herself from Marshall's chest and wiped her eyes. "Her name was Kourtney and she was Barney's high school sweetheart. They had an on and off relationship, thanks to Barney's infidelity…"

"Wow. What a shocker." Robin said and smirks. Normally there would be a laugh track to this but there was nothing, It was slightly creepy and felt almost real. Like we were spying on a couple of New Yorkers remembering one of the worst tragedy of all time. Lilly gave her a look that screamed 'Not now.' Robin's smirk quickly faded and she cleared her throat. "Sorry."

"But in 2000, they had decided they would never be with another ever again and he was going to marry her on September 15, 2001. She worked in the 2nd tower of the World Trade Center She had taken the week of the wedding and the following week off for the honeymoon but she forgot her plane tickets for the honeymoon. Barney was the last person to see her that day."

The screen panned to Barney's apartment where Barney and a woman were sleeping. September 11th, 2001 was now at the bottom of the screen while Barney's alarm went off. The clock said 6am. He grumbled, not wanting to leave the bed. To the side of him was his lovely fiancé. She had long blonde hair and quite pale. He sat up and yawned quite loudly. Kourtney began to stir and she slowly opened her eyes and looked up at him as he looked down at her. "Alright, what did I tell you about my rules. No women in the bed after 3 am."

She smacked his leg and he smiled devilishly. "Why don't you just stay home today. We could run to work, grab the plane tickets, come home and screw like bunnies." She smiled widely and he groaned.

"I would love to but you know I have a meeting. It's my last one before our awesome adventure overseas," he said as he climbed out of bed and headed to his closet of suits. One suit was covered in plastic hanging with all the rest of the suits. He pulls it out and smiles.

Kourtney got out of bed herself, pulling her blonde locks from her face. "It's going to look legend-"

"-I hope you are not lactose intolerant because this next part is-"

"-Dary." She kissed Barney's cheek and gave him a quick hug. "I love you."

He smirked at her. "I know.

September 11th, 2010

Back at the bar, Robin was intensely listening to Lilly. "Ted had seen the first tower be hit first hand," Lilly had informed her, who was growing paler by the minute. "He ran back to the apartment and banged on Marshall and I's bedroom door. We were sleeping in because we were slightly hung over from a rough night at MacLarens. You know me, I never call in on a Tuesday."

Ted busted into his apartment while the words September 11th, 2001 was back on the screen. He ran over to Lilly and Marshall's door while changing the channel on the TV with a remote. "GUYS! WAKE THE FUCK UP! I JUST SAW SOME CRAZY SHIT!" Ted ran to the couch and sat down, his eyes locked on the screen. None of this was bleeped out. I was shocked to hear cursing on my, normally not-so-racy television show.

Lilly is the first to submerge from the bedroom. She had large knot in her hair on the right hand side of her head and she slowly walked over to the couch. Yet again, no laugh track. I began to feel really uneasy. She leaned on the arm rest groaning. "Ted, what are you going on about? I think I overdid it la-"

"Hush! I just saw a plane hit one of the towers."

Lilly grew pale. "Which one?"

"North Tower. I think it might have been just a plane that lost control or something. It happened all so fast. I was in a taxi headed towards them when I saw it happen. I was so frightened that I made the taxi driver turn around. He did his best to try to but everyone was stopped in the streets. It was….weird…."

The TV caught his attention. It had in bold letters, "BREAKING NEWS". Lilly ran to get Marshall as Ted watched another plane hit the second tower. "LILLY!"

The two ran to the couch and Ted turned up his TV. It was a real news reporter showing real footage from the plane crashing into the second tower. Lilly let out a scream as her eyes filled with tears. She covered her mouth to keep from sobbing. There was more footage of people stopped in the streets watching in horror as the attacks happened. Ted rubbed his head and Marshall walked towards the TV when he stopped.

"Guys, has anyone heard from Barney and Kourtney?"

Lilly looked back at him. "I think they were going to go to her work today to get the plane tickets for their Honeymoon," She slowly. All three looked at one another, staring. Frozen in fear that they could be losing their friend.

Ted ran over to the phone and dialed Kourtney's cell phone number. All you can hear is screams. "KOURTNEY! ARE YOU OKAY?" Ted screamed to her.

Someone sobbing on the other line. "Ted. I'm not going to make it out. I'm right where the plane hit and I'm stuck here. There are bodies everywhere. I can't tell who is dead and who is alive. My arm is broken and I think my head is busted open. I'm completely bloody and dizzy. I'm scared. I love you guys."

Ted had tears streaming down his face as he rushed over to the couch so they could say goodbye. "Don't talk like that. It'll be okay. The police and firemen are on the scene."

"Be hopeful! We love you!" Lilly screamed, sobbing as well.

Suddenly a loud explosion was heard and Kourtney screaming before the phone went dead. All three were crying now, Lilly was in hysterics. Barney stormed into the apartment just as Ted was throwing the phone onto the couch. "Kourtney is in there."

All three nodded and they looked back to the screen. It was a zoomed in shot of where the plane had been and there was a long blonde haired girl standing there waving with one arm for help with her cell phone in her hand. Lilly ran off to vomit. Ted couldn't stop staring at the screen and Marshall walked away from it. Barney rushed over to the TV and fell to his knees sobbing. "Ko…Kourtney…"

The camera held on Kourtney for a good five minutes before replaying the video of the second tower being struck. Barney held onto the TV as if it was Kourtney himself, sobbing and shaking. Lilly walked back into the room just after the video panned out. Then they watched as the tower that was hit first, collapsed. All three screamed in horror as they feared the worst. Marshall rushed to his then-girlfriend's side and held her close. Barney laid on the ground as the footage continued.

By now, they were all worn and tired. They watched hopelessly as the first tower collapsed. They feared for the worst for the other tower.

"She is going to get out of there. She has to…"

Marshall, Lilly and Ted stared at their friend, his face red and blotchy. "I don't know if I can ever be with one woman again if she doesn't. It would feel like cheating if I was in a committed relationship with one woman," he continued.

Lilly's lip quivered, "Barney, there is still some hope. Have faith," she said, knowing no one in the room felt any hope.

Then the jumpers began. It felt the footage of all the jumpers was lasting for hours. They panned back to the gaping hole in the erect building and Kourtney was still there. She was covered in sut and she seemed even more covered in blood than before.

Then all three watched as she made a cross on her body before she jumped from the building.

It pans again to the bar with "September 11th, 2010" back again at the bottom. Lilly and Robin were both sobbing now and the Canadian native moved closer to her friend and held her close. "It explains Barney. So was I the exception to the rule?" She asked Lilly.

Lilly nodded. "You were the closest thing he found to Kourtney that he's ever seen. But it's still very hard for him to commit, as you know."

Robin took Ted's beer and took a swig from it. "One question though, did you ever tell Barney about the phone call? I mean, really, you three were the last to speak to her," Robin asked and Marshal shook his head.

"We didn't have the heart to tell him. It was best to have him think that he was the last person of the group to speak to her. It's something we will eventually tell him but for now, it's just too hard to do. If he still acts this way 9 years later, then it's just too soon," he explained, rubbing Lilly's shoulder.

Ted and Barney head back to the table, Barney with tears in his eyes and a wet spot on his suit. "Robin, I'm sure you are wondering why we have these ridiculously classy outfits on. These were what we were all going to wear in the wedding," Lilly said.

"So that's Barney's…" Lilly nodded and Robin gasped.

Barney sighed as he sat down and Robin caressed his hand. "Maybe one day it'll get easier…?" she asked, slightly shrugging.

"Maybe. I hope so," he said before the camera panned up to one of the flags.

_(Old Ted)Kids, your uncle Barney has only fallen in love three times in his entire life. But sometimes, it's hardest when you lose someone rather than break up. This is why it took so long for him to be with Aunt Robin._

The screen fades to black and the credits roll. Normally when they basically hint that Barney and Robin stay together, I would be squealing and running around with glee but I was in too much shock over the episode to care. After the credits rolled, there was a picture of a woman with long blonde hair that looked identical to the woman who was playing Kourtney. At the bottom of the screen, it said, "Krystal Madison Olden" Then it showed real footage of her making a cross on her head and hopping out of one of the windows.

End


End file.
